Binding Force
by BookishObsessed
Summary: Almost Severitus, but not quite. Snape is Harry's father. Watch Harry as he goes through Hogwarts. Full(er) summary inside. Will parallel the books, for the most part.
1. Meeting New People

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it. 'Cept Diana. She's half mine.

Extended summary: Severus is Harry's father. Exactly four (living) people know this: Dumbledore, Sev, Remus, and Harry himself. As far as the Ministry knows, Harry is being looked after by Remus Lupin -- wards and other precautions have been put into place to keep Harry from being bitten during the full moon. What the Ministry does not know is that Severus visits Harry whenever possible during the school year, and that Harry lives with Severus during the summer and Christmas holidays. This story starts when Harry is on the train to Hogwarts for his first year. Someday, I may write a prequel. Until then, enjoy!

**Chapter One: Meeting New People**

Harry Snape, known to all but a few as Harry Potter, sat in the corner of one of the compartments on the Hogwarts Express, idly twirling his new wand. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts. His "guardian," Remus Lupin had told him countless stories about the castle, as had his father, Severus Snape.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" asked a voice from the doorway. Harry looked up.

"Not at all," he said. "Have a seat."

The two girls standing there smiled at him. "Thank you," said the one who had spoken first as they moved to sit down. "I'm Diana Greengrass, and this is my sister Daphne. We're first years, how about you?"

"First," Harry replied, grinning. "My name's Harry."

"Pleased to meet you," Diana said. Daphne nodded shyly. "You can call me Di, if you want. So, do you know what house you want to be in? I'm Ravenclaw, definitely, and Daph wants Hufflepuff."

Harry shrugged. "I don't much care. The Sorting Hat always knows best, or so I've heard."

"I dunno. I heard that the Sorting Hat will put someone into a House where they don't belong because they asked for it. Personally, though, I couldn't care less which house I'm in, so I'm not going to try and argue with the Hat." The boy in the doorway grinned at them "Blaise Zabini," he said, by way of introducing himself. "Does that toad belong to one of you?" he asked, pointing under Harry's seat. "Because I think that it wants to leave."

Sure enough, the toad started hopping towards the door, apparently trying to escape from the compartment. Blaise caught it easily, and looked at the other three expectantly.

Diana shook her head. "Not ours."

Harry shrugged. "If it belongs to another student, they'll come looking for it," he said reasonably. "If not, well, there's a lake near Hogwarts. We can let it go there."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Blaise said, taking a seat.

The twins nodded, and Di launched into a discussion about classes. They had gotten as far as deciding that Charms sounded the most fun, History of Magic the most boring, and Transfiguration the hardest, when a bushy-haired girl stuck her head in, followed by a timid looking boy.

"I'm sorry," the girl said, "but have any of you seen a toad? Neville's lost one." She gestured toward the boy.

Blaise grinned, producing the toad he had caught earlier. "This it?"

"Trevor!" Neville said, reaching for the toad.

"Please, sit down," Daphne said softly, speaking for the first time since entering the compartment.

Neville and the girl did, taking the last two empty seats in the compartment. "I'm Hermione Granger," the girl said.

"Diana and Daphne Greengrass."

"Blaise Zabini."

"Harry."

Blaise turned to face Harry. "What's your surname?" he asked curiously. "Everyone's going to find out at the Sorting anyway," he pointed out.

"Potter," Harry said reluctantly, bracing himself for the inevitable storm of comments. He was not completely disappointed.

"Are you really?" Hermione asked excitedly, leaning forward. "I know all about you, of course. I got a couple of extra books for backround reading and you're in /Modren Magical History/ and /The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts/ and /Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century/."

"I know," Harry said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Why?" Diana asked. The Greengrass girls were apparently Muggle-born.

"He deafeated You-Know-Who when he was a baby," Blaise said, inspecting Harry again.

"Who's You-Know-Who?"

"Lord Voldemort," Harry explained, ignoring the winces from Blaise, Neville, and Hermione. "He was trying to kill all Muggle-borns -- anyone who wasn't pure-blood, really -- about ten years ago. Anyone that tried to stop him got killed as well."

"And you defeated him when you were only a baby?"

"I don't even remember it," Harry protested. "Forget about it, alright?"

Nothing more was said, but everyone was shooting glances at him every couple of seconds. Finally he stood up. "Look, if you guys can't forget or ignore that I'm Harry Potter, I'm leaving," he said.

"Sorry, Harry," Di said. "We shouldn't treat you any different just because you're in all those books and stuff." Daphne nodded. Blaise and Hermione looked down at their shoes, both looking slightly ashamed of themselves.

Neville smiled tentatively at Harry. "Diana's right. Sorry, Harry."

Harry sat back down, trying to think of a way to lighten the mood. "Anyone follow Quidditch?" he tried.

Blaise looked up, grinning. "Of course."

Neville shook his head. "I don't. Gran doesn't much like Quidditch."

"What's Quidditch?" Diana and Hermione asked at the same time. They grinned at each other and Daphne laughed.

"It's the best sport in the world," Blaise said, launching into an enthusiastic description of the rules, players, balls, and teams. He finished just as the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. "I support the Prides," he said as they stood to exit the train.

Harry grinned. "It's the Wanderers all the way," he disaggreed.

"Yeah, if you want to have a meat cleaver on your chest," Blaise retorted, rolling his eyes. Everyone laughed as they stepped onto the platform, heading toward a very large man calling for all of the first years.

Harry was pretty sure that he was the Hagrid that both his father and Remus had talked about. After all, how many people that size could on castle have?

Hagrid led them down to the edge of the lake, which had a small fleet of boats waiting there. "No more'n four to a boat," he instructed.

Harry, Blaise, and the twins got into one boat, with Neville and Hermione joining two other first years in another boat. Once everyone was settled, the boats started across the large lake. It didn't take as long as Harry expected to get across the lake and soon the boats were pulling into a small harbor in Hogwarts's shadow.

After they got out of the boat, Harry, Blaise, Daphne, and Diana rejoined Neville and Hermione, who was glaring at a red-haired boy who had been in her boat. Together, the first years followed Hagrid up to the main entrance. The door opened almost as soon as he knocked.

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A/N: There's the first chapter! Can any of you guess which House he's going to be in? If you have a question about Harry's history, or where this story is going, please leave it in a review! 


	2. The Sorting and Opening Feast

Disclaimer: Don't own it. -sigh-

**Chapter Two: The Sorting and Opening Feast**

A stern-looking woman in emerald-green robes stood there. "Thank you, Hagrid," she said, nodding at him. Harry suppressed a triumphant grin. He had been right! Gesturing for the first years to follow her, she led them to a small chamber just off the Entrance Hall and waited for them to be quiet before she spoke again. It didn't take long.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be like your family at Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

She paused for a moment to direct a stern glare at a couple of talking first-years. They went quiet /very/ quickly. "The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose your house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will earn the house cup. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

She looked pointedly at Neville, whose cloak had gotten twisted around until it was fastened under his ear. As soon as she left, nervous whispers broke out.

"I wonder what spells we'll need?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled at her. "None whatsoever," he said. "Just relax. All we have to do is put a hat on, and it will shout out our House."

"What if the hat says we're not supposed to be at Hogwarts at all?" Neville asked, trying uselessly to fix his cloak. Daphne stopped him and expertly straightened it for him. He blinked at her. "How'd you do that?"

She ducked her head. "Practice."

"If you got a letter, you're supposed to be here," Harry assured the nervous boy.

"And what if Daph or I end up in Slytherin? I read that they don't much like Muggle-borns," Di said, looking more scared by the second.

"Not all Slytherins are bad," Blaise said, a beat ahead of Harry. "Both my parents were in Slytherin, and they're all right."

Diana seemed a bit cheered by this thought. Just then, the professor returned. "Form a line and follow me," she instructed.

The first-years did as they were bid, and were led across the Entrance Hall and through the double doors into the Great Hall. They stopped along the teachers table. Harry caught his father's eye and grinned. Severus gave the smallest of nods in reply.

Harry turned back to watch a very old hat being placed on a stool in front of the first years. A wide rip near the brim opened and the hat burst into song.

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring nerve and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means To acheive their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Everyone clapped as the hat bowed to each of the tables, then froze again, looking for all the world like an ordinary, if extremely old, wizards hat.

Harry, Hermione, Neville, Blaise, Diana, and Daphne managed a six-way look. Being sorted by a hat was one thing, but being sorted by an /insane/, /singing/ hat? That was just flat-out scary.

Meanwhile, McGonagall had unrolled a long sheet of parchement and was reading names from it. Harry ignored her, choosing instead to study the older students. He tried to guess who some of them were by his father's comments. The Weasley twins were the easiest, followed by Marcus Flint. Harry had gotten as far as deciding who Cedric Diggory was when Hermione's name was called.

She all but ran up to the stool, jamming the hat onto her head. A shout of "GRYFFINDOR!" sent her happily towards the table on the far left.

"Goyle, Gregory" was next and then Daphne's name was called. Though clearly both nervous and vaguely excited, she went towards the stool at a much more sedate pace than Hermione had. It wasn't long before the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" Daphne grinned at her friends in the line before joining her new housemates.

The hat had barely touched Diana's head before yelling out "RAVENCLAW!" and she hurried to sit at the table between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.

There was a long gap between Diana and Neville and sometime around when "Jenks, Anna" was called, Blaise started muttering about how doing it in alphabetical order was unfair. Harry, whose stomach was starting to feel a bit topsy-turvy from nervousness, couldn't agree more.

Finally, "Longbottom, Neville" was called. Harry caught Neville just in time to keep the other boy from tripping. Neville gave him a grateful look and continued toward the stool without further mishap. It took almost a minute for the hat to decide, but finally it yelled out "GRYFFINDOR!" Neville ran off to join Hermione with the hat still on. As he ran back up to give it to "MacDougal, Morag" Harry gave him a sympathetic smile, though he wasn't sure if Neville had seen him.

It wasn't long before his name was announced. Amidst the whispers of the other students, Harry walked up to the stool, trying to smile at Blaise. It felt more like a grimace.

The hat slid down over his eyes. "Hmmm..." the hat said to him quietly. "You're not really a Gryffindor, now are you? Not one to rush blindly into danger. Not quite ambitious enough for Slytherin, either. Not a bad mind, but no desire to apply it, is there? Yet you're very patient, loyal to anyone who you call a friend, a hard worker...All excellent qualities for a HUFFLEPUFF!"

There was dead silence for one second, then the Hufflepuff table erupted into cheers. The rest of the school had varying degress of shock on their faces as Harry replaced the hat on the stool and walked quickly towards the Hufflepuff table. He sat down across from Daphne, who grinned at him.

When the uproar from Hufflepuff had died down, McGonagall continued calling names. Harry looked up at the head table, seeking to make sure that Severus wasn't angry that Harry had been sorted into Hufflepuff, but Severus's expression was unreadable.

Harry looked back down at his plate, wishing that he could go back to the hat and tell it to put him in Slytherin, even if he didn't belong there at all. It would be worth it, Harry thought, just for his dad to be proud of him.

Eventually, Blaise was sorted into Slytherin and the ceremony was over. At the head table, Dumbledore stood up. "Welcome!" he said, looking across the students. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

As he sat down, the plates filled with food. Daphne's eyes widened more than Harry would have thought possible. Harry grinned at her. "Impressive, isn't it?"

She blinked a couple of times and nodded. He grinned again, and started filling his plate. Halfway through the feast, he realized that she had barely eaten anything. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

She shrugged. "Homesick," she said, looking wistfully at the Ravenclaw table. Suddenly, Harry thought he understood.

"You're in a new place, and suddenly Diana's not with you?" he tried.

Her gaze snapped over to him. Slowly she nodded. "I guess."

"We'll have classes with her, probably," Harry said, trying to cheer her up.

"Maybe." Daphne said, not noticeably cheered.

"But you won't be able to talk to her?" Harry guessed.

She nodded again, eyes drifting back towards Diana. Harry tried to think of a solution. Slowly, it came to him.

"What if you two could find a place and time to meet up and talk?" he said slowly, thinking out loud.

"How about all of us?" she said. Harry knew that she was talking about everyone who had been in their compartment on the train.

Harry's eyes lit up. "That's a /brilliant/ idea, Daphne! How about...I dunno...Friday after classes maybe?" She considered this, then nodded. "Will you ask Blaise?" he asked, since she was sitting closer to the Slytherin table than he was. He waited just long enough to see her nod again before turning towards the Ravenclaw table. Diana was right behind him.

"Hey, Diana," he said. She turned around, looking at him questioningly. He grinned. "Do you want to meet up with me, Daphne, and hopefully Blaise, Hermione, and Neville in the library on Friday?"

She smiled. "That would be /great/," she said. "You want me to ask Hermione and Neville?"

He nodded. "Daphne's asking Blaise."

"Great," she said, turning back around. Harry followed suit, smiling. Great was right.

By the end of the feast, everone had agreed to meet in the library, Daphne had eaten, and Harry had started to think longingly of bed.

Finally, Dumbledore stood up again and the food faded from the plates. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students. A few of our older students should keep that in mind as well.

"I have also been asked by the caretaker, Mr. Filch, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor is out-of-bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death."

A couple of students laughed. Most just looked nervous or confused. Harry instinctively looked up at his father for reassurance but he found none. His father looked just as serious as Dumbledore, perhaps more so. Harry didn't even notice when the rest of the scool sang the school song or when Dumbledore sent them off to bed, until Daphne kicked him lightly under the table.

He looked up at her, startled. She jerked her head towards the doors, drawing his attention to the fact that everyone was leaving. He nodded gratefully at her and was just standing up when one of the professors came up to them. "Mr. Potter? Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to you."

Daphne looked torn between following the prefects to the Hufflepuff common room and staying with Harry. "I'll meet you in the common room," Harry said grinning at her. She smiled back, then dashed after the rest of the Hufflepuffs.

"Follow me Mr. Potter," the professor said, starting towards a door behind the head table. Harry glanced towards the door Daphne and the other students had used then shook his head and hurried to catch up with the professor.

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A/N: Aww, no reviews? Oh, well. Maybe this time? Next chapter, Harry.Snape interaction! 


	3. Talks

Disclaimer: Don't own it. –sigh-

**Chapter Three: Talking**

On the way to Professor Dumbledore's office, the woman Harry was following introduced herself as Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House and the Herbology teacher. Harry had remained quiet, trying to figure out why Dumbledore would want to see him. By the time they reached a large, stone gargoyle, he still had yet to come up with a reason.

"Sugar quill," Professor Sprout told the gargoyle. With a loud rumble, the gargoyle moved aside to reveal a staircase. Professor Sprout smiled at Harry. "Go right on up, Mr. Potter. Professor Dumbledore will show you to the Common Room afterwards."

He nodded his thanks to her and stepped onto the staircase. The gargoyle closed behind him and the staircase started moving upwards, taking Harry to the Headmaster's office. The stairs deposited him in front of a door with a brass knocker shaped like a griffin. Harry hesitated, not sure whether or not he should knock.

The problem was solved for him by the door swinging open on its own. Harry stepped into the office, looking around nervously. His eyes landed on the lone occupant of the room, and Harry froze, shocked. What in the world was his dad doing here? And where was Dumbledore?

Severus studied Harry, gaze lingering on the Hufflepuff crest attached to his son's robes.

"I didn't ask it to put me in Hufflepuff," Harry said suddenly, his eyes begging Severus not to be angry. "I didn't."

Severus's only reply was a small nod.

"If...if you want, I'll switch to Slytherin," Harry said, at that moment willing to do anything to make his dad happy.

"You can't," Severus said, perhaps a bit harsher than he intended. "Sorting is final."

"I'm sorry!" Harry said. "Please, Dad."

Severus was silent for a long minute. "Well, I suppose it's better than Gryffindor," he finally grumbled.

Harry's face lit up and he hugged Severus, who patted his shoulder awkwardly. Harry stepped back, blushing a bit. He knew that his father was not one for overt displays of emotion, but he hadn't been able to help himself.

"How was the train?" Severus asked. "You seem to have made a few friends."

Harry nodded happily. "Daph, Blaise, Hermione, Di, and Neville."

The last name caught Severus's attention. "Neville Longbottom?" he asked sharply.

Harry nodded. "Why? Is that bad?"

Severus slowlyshook his head. "Aside from being a Gryffindor, no."

Harry arched an eyebrow at the older Snape. "Remus was a Gryffindor," he pointed out.

"I know," Severus replied dryly. Harry decided not to push the matter.

"The train was great," he said, answering his father's original question. "There was this witch with a cart full of sweets and stuff. Blaise bought a bunch of Chocolate Frogs and he shared with the rest of us. I got Bowman Wright."

"You did recall the manners I have drummed into your head, I hope?" Severus asked pointedly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "_Yes_," he said impatiently.

"Are you sure?" Severus pressed.

"Dad!"

Severus almost smiled. "Just checking. Now," he frowned, "Why are you up here? You can't be in trouble already."

"I'm not!" Harry said indignantly. "At least, I don't think I am. Professor Sprout just said that Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to me."

Severus scowled. Of course. It was _always_ Albus. He looked at Harry, carefully controlling his expression. "Well, if it's important, he can talk to you in the morning. I'll escort you to your common room."

He stood and strode over to the door. As soon as his hand touched the knob, a scrap of parchment floated down.

_The password to the Hufflepuff common room is 'Fried Chicken.'_

As he read it, Severus's scowl returned full-force. Albus and his machinations.

"Dad?" Harry asked, wondering why Severus had stopped.

"Remember, it is Professor Snape when others are around," the older man said, passing his son the parchment, and exiting the office.

"I know," Harry said, following Severus.

"And do not expect me to treat you any differently than your classmates," Severus added sternly.

"I know, Da-Professor," Harry corrected himself. "It wouldn't be fair if you did."

Severus nodded, and the two continued toward the Hufflepuff common room in silence. Finally, Severus stopped in front of a statue. Severus turned to Harry. "This is the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Do you remember the password?"

Harry nodded. "Good-night."

The barest hint of a smile hovered on Severus's face. "Good-night, Harry." He strode off.

Harry looked after him for a moment, then shook his head and turned back to the statue. "Fried chicken," he said, wondering who had come up with _that_ password. The statue slid to the side, revealing the entry to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Harry glanced at the statue, shrugged, and went in.

His first impression of the large room had to be welcoming. It just felt _comfortable_, instantly putting Harry at ease. It seemed to have had the same effect on Daphne, who was waiting there for him.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" she said as soon as she noticed him.

Harry nodded, still looking around. "Yeah. So, what are the Prefects like?" he asked, finally focusing on her.

"Pretty nice. The two that showed the way down here said that they'd be leading us to classes and stuff for the first week or so, until we can find our own way around."

Harry's face lit up. He had been worrying about finding his way around. "Really?"

Daphne nodded. "The boy said that Hufflepuffs always help each other out, because the other Houses don't really care what happens to any of us." She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure if I really believe him, though."

"I don't either," Harry said firmly. "He's generalizing. There are some people in each House that are probably like that, but all of them can't be."

Daphne nodded, yawning. "Th...that's what I thought, but..." She shrugged. "I wasn't sure. I only know you, Di, Blaise, Hermione, and Neville."

Harry smiled at her, stifling a yawn of his own. "You'll meet more people," he said, yawning again. "In the morning," he added sheepishly.

She giggled. "Your dormitory is just down that hallway," she said pointing. "Sleep well."

He gave her a thankful smile. "You too, Daph," he said, heading down the hallway she had indicated. "See you in the morning."

* * *

A/N: Well, it's a bit short, but it's been a while since I last updated, so I thought you all would like a new chapter now, rather than wait two or three weeks for a longer one. I'll try to get the next one out soon! Until then, enjoy!

Oh, and about the Hufflepuff password... I have absolutely no clue. I don't even _like_ fried chicken. –shakes head– Oh, well.

Review Replies:

hahaha-evil: Thanks for your review!

biblios: Glad you like the Hufflepuff Harry idea! I was trying to be at least slightly original! I will try to keep Harry as Hufflepuff-like as possible, though he does have some Slytherin and Gryffindor traits (he has been raised by a Slytherin and a Gryffindor), and he will study hard (because _his_ dad is right there at Hogwarts and will not hesitate to bring Harry to task if Harry's neglecting his schoolwork), but he will remain mostly Hufflepuff.

I really don't like Mary-Sues either, and I try to keep them out of my story. If one of my characters start to drift towards being Mary-Sue-ish, please tell me so I can fix it! Thank you for the review!

lillinfields: Here's Sev's reaction! I think he took it rather well, on the whole. What else can you expect from such an emotionally-controlled Slytherin? Glad you liked chapter two!

Kyki Rivera: I'm glad you like it! Thank you for the review!

sinister sinclair: I hope this chapter measures up. Thank you for reviewing!

Fan: That'll be more fully explained in later chapters. Basically, Lily and Severus fell in love and had Harry. Because of Voldemort, though, Lily and Sev couldn't be together openly, so Lily pretended to marry James and James pretended that Harry was his son. I hope that answers your question! Thanks for the review!

Danu3: I'm glad you like it! Here's the update! And I loved My Daddy. Matty is so _sweet_. Would've been cool if he went Hogwarts, but I understand why he ended in America.


	4. Morning and Potions

Disclaimer: Don't own it. –sigh–

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**Chapter Four:Morning andPotions**

When Harry woke up the next morning, it took him a moment to remember where he was. When he did, he smiled happily. He was at Hogwarts and his dad wasn't mad that he wasn't in Slytherin! Harry pulled back the hangings on his bed and grinned at his dorm-mates.

"Good morning!" he said cheerfully.

"There's nothing good about it," one of the other boys grumbled. None of the others seemed awake enough to comment.

Harry shook his head. All of them seemed to be just like his dad was in the morning: cranky and only half-awake, if that. Personally, Harry had never quite seen the point in being grumpy. You missed the best part of the day.

Dressing quickly, he made his way to the Common Room. The two prefects waiting there nodded at him.

"Hullo," the girl said. "I'm Andrea Wright. Didn't get a chance to meet you last night."

"Harry Potter," he replied, sitting down. "I would've followed you last night, but Professor Sprout told me that the Headmaster wanted to talk to me."

"Sokay," she said. "You know the password though, right?"

"No, Andrea, he walked right through the statue without it," the other Prefect replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, be quiet, John," she snapped. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Does it look like I _care_?" John replied, raising one eyebrow.

Andrea scowled at him, but any reply she was planning died on her lips as the other first year boys entered the room.

John stood up. "C'mon," he said, grinning at the first years, "Let's head up to breakfast."

"I'll wait," Harry said quietly, glancing towards the girls dormitories.

"Funny," John said, smirking. "That's what the Greengrass girl said last night when we told her she should go up to her dormitory. Anything between you two?"

Harry didn't rise to the bait. "Just friends," he said calmly, steadily meeting the older boy's eyes. "We met on the train yesterday."

John shrugged. "If you say so." With that, he turned and headed out of the Common Room, all the first year boys except for Harry following behind him.

Andrea rolled her eyes at his back. "Don't mind him," she told Harry. "He's annoying and sarcastic, but," she gave a long-suffering sigh, "You get used to him."

He laughed. That was the same way Remus tended to describe Severus.

She smiled wryly at him. "You know someone else like that?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Good morning!" The last was directed at the first year girls emerging from their dorm.

"Morning," one them said, nodding at him.

"Hey Harry," Daph said.

Andrea jumped up. "Breakfast!" she said cheerfully, herding the girls and Harry towards the exit.

Harry fell in next to Daphne and they followed Andrea up to the Great Hall. Harry tried to keep track of the twists and turns, but soon gave up. It was just too confusing. Finally they reached their destination. Professor Sprout was moving up and down the Hufflepuff table passing out schedules.

When she saw Andrea and the first years, the short professor smiled at them as she hurried over. She handed Andrea a slip of parchment and the prefect murmured her thanks and scanned the sheet, grinning happily about something.

"Your schedules are with your year-mates," Professor Sprout told the first years kindly. She gestured vaguely towards where the other first years were sitting and then left.

Andrea glanced at them. "You go sit down. I have to talk with someone." She walked off towards the Gryffindor table.

Harry and the girls obeyed and soon found themselves staring at their schedules, trying to decide whether or not they should just give up the whole idea of becoming wizards. John wasn't really helping much.

I'd hate to be you," he was saying. "Professor Snape first thing on the first day of your first year?" He shook his head. "You must be cursed or something. He's awful. I don't know why Dumbledore lets him stay. He _always_ favors the Slytherins, and he hates all the rest of the students."

Harry stiffened and he had to bite his lip to keep from saying anything. His dad _had_ informed him that he was not a very popular teacher, but Harry still had trouble not leaping to defend his dad.

Fortunately for Harry (and John), one of the older students spoke up. "He's not _that_ bad," the girl said. "You just don't like him because he said that you could get better marks by not showing up at all."

"And isn't that enough of a reason?" John demanded. "It's not like it's a _crime_ to actually help your students, after all!"

"Are you still on about Professor Snape?" Andrea asked, dropping into the seat across from Harry. "Listen, John, he's a Potions _Master_ and Dumbledore obviously trusts him. Besides, this is your last year with him."

That thought seemed to cheer John up, for some reason.

Half an hour later, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first years were down in the dungeons, waiting for their first Potions lesson to begin. Most of the class sat as far to the back as they could, with the exception of Harry, Daph, Di, and a Ravenclaw boy.

Suddenly, the door at the back of the room slammed open and Professor Snape strode in. As soon as he was done taking roll, he glared around the room. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began, using his quiet, mess-with-me-and-you-die voice. No one dared move. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the sense...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

The last comment got the Ravenclaws hooked. All of them looked anxious to prove that they weren't dunderhead, as did a couple of Hufflepuffs. Severus glared around the room for a few seconds before spotting a student who looked slightly panicked.

"Finch-Fletchley!" he snapped. The boy jumped.

"Y-yes, sir?"

"What would you get if you added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Finch-Fletchley looked even more panicked. Mutely, he shook his head.

"Don't know?" Professor Snape sneered. "Pity." He looked at Diana. "Miss Greengrass! Can you enlighten Mr. Finch-Fletchley?"

"Draught of Living Death," she answered clearly.

He nodded curtly and spun to face a pink faced girl. "Miss Abbot! Where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

"Stomach of...of...of a goat?" she asked, her voice squeaking a bit.

"Give me an _answer_, Miss Abbot. Don't ask another question back at me."

"Stomach of a goat," she said with a bit more force.

"Correct. Boot!" he glared at the Ravenclaw boy at Harry's table. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"There is no difference, sir. They are the same plant, which is also known as aconite."

The answer surprised a raised eyebrow out of the Potions Professor. "Also correct. One point to Ravenclaw for the complete answer."

The boy positively beamed. All of the other Ravenclaws also looked fairly happy: they had earned a point for their House!

Professor Snape ignored their smiles. "Pair up," he snapped. "Let us hope that all of you can brew a potion as easily as your classmates spout off theory."

It took very little time for the first years to pair up, and as soon as they did, Snape tapped the board and instructions for a potion to cure boils appeared there. He glared around the room. "Well?" he demanded. "Get your ingredients," a flick of his wand opened the supply cabinet, "and get started!"

* * *

A/N: I know, I know: I said Id have this out ages ago! Blame Murphy's law, since it decided to mess up my life. Grrr...

I think I had a bit of an out of character Snape near the ending, but I figured that he probably doesn't _hate_ Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, he just doesn't like them as much as his Slytherins. What do you guys think?

Anyway, I will try to update more quickly next time, but if I can't, please don't hate me!

**Review Replies:**

biblios: Ron won't be a big character, sorry. I'll try to give you a couple of glimpses of him, though! Not sure about Draco yet, so I guess you'll just have to wait and see! There really isn't any Harry/Sev interaction here, but I promise there will be some next chapter!

Danu3: Well, it's not really, really soon, but it is finally up! Do I get some points for that? By the way, I hope you do a sequel to My Daddy. I would _love_ to read it.

athenakitty: Yes, Harry will enjoy himself as much as he can (the whole being-wanted-by-a-Dark-Lord kills some of the enjoyment). He will have some fun-otherwise I'd get bored trying writing this! Well, he'll be fairly close to Blaise, Neville, Hermione, Daph, and Di, but if I create a "Trio" out of that group, Blaise will probably be his "Ron," and Daph will be a bit like canon-Harry's "Hermione," even though my Harry already has Hermione. Did that make any sense at all?

lillinfields: Sev? Sweet? Only if he really, really, _really_ wants to! But he does care about Harry. There will be some Harry/Sev next chapter.

Anne: Here ya go!

Thank you all for reviewing!


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